Background

Born in Peckham, London to a footballing family (his brother Rio plays for and is former captain of the England national football team and his cousin Les is a former England international), Anton showed considerable talent from an early age. Like his brother, Rio, he preferred to play in defence. His ability in this position led to him being signed to West Ham United's famed academy.

Club career

West Ham United

Ferdinand joined West Ham as a trainee in December 2002 and was handed his first team debut in August 2003 when he started the 2–1 victory at Preston North End on the 2003–04 season's opening day.

In the 2004–05 season, he cemented his first team place with several key performances (including scoring the opening goal on the final day as the Hammers beat Watford 2–1) as West Ham booked a play-off spot. West Ham went on to beat Preston in the Final, earning them promotion back into the Premier League after an absence of two years. At the end of July 2005, Ferdinand decided to stay at West Ham by signing a three-year contract extension with the...Read More